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All information is drawn from or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

One of the greatest collections of European painting in the world. These pictures belong to the public and admission to see them is free.

Venue Type:

Gallery, Museum

Opening hours

Open daily 10.00-18.00, Fri 10.00-21.00

Admission charges

Admission free

Additional info

The Gallery holds regular events given or interpreted in British Sign Language (BSL).On the last Saturday of every month the ‘Art Through Words’ programme for blind and partially sighted visitors examines one painting in the collection in detail.

The National Gallery’s permanent collection spans the period from about 1250 to 1900 and consists of Western European paintings.

Collection details

Fine Art, Personalities, Religion, Social History

Key artists and exhibits

'The Wilton Diptych'

Jan van Eyck 'The Arnolfini Portrait'

Paolo Uccello 'The Battle of San Romano'

Piero della Francesca 'The Baptism of Christ'

Sandro Botticelli 'Venus and Mars'

Leonardo da Vinci 'The Virgin of the Rocks'

Michelangelo 'The Entombment'

Giovanni Bellini 'The Doge Leonardo Loredan'

Raphael 'The Madonna of the Pinks'

Jan Gossaert 'The Adoration of the Kings'

Titian 'Bacchus and Ariadne'

Hans Holbein the Younger 'The Ambassadors'

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 'The Supper at Emmaus'

Peter Paul Rubens 'Samson and Delilah'

Anthony Van Dyck, 'Equestrian Portrait of Charles I'

Rembrandt 'Self Portrait at the Age of 34'

Claude 'Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula'

Diego Velázquez 'The Rokeby Venus'

Johannes Vermeer 'A Young Woman standing at a Virginal'

Canaletto 'The Stonemason's Yard'

Thomas Gainsborough 'Mr and Mrs Andrews'

George Stubbs 'Whistlejacket'

François-Hubert Drouais 'Madame de Pompadour at her Tambour Frame'

John Constable, 'The Hay Wain'

Joseph Mallord William Turner 'The Fighting Temeraire'

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 'Madame Moitessier'

Claude-Oscar Monet 'Bathers at La Grenouillère'

Georges Seurat 'Bathers at Asnières'

Vincent Van Gogh 'Sunflowers'

Paul Cezanne, 'Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses)'

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

Exhibition (temporary)

Monet: The Water Garden at Giverny

16 September 2014 — 16 September 2015 *on now

In 1918, the day after the Armistice was signed, Monet promised a group of paintings to the French nation as a 'monument to peace'. Known as the 'Water-Lilies', they continue to captivate visitors almost a century later.

Claude Monet lived at Giverny, Normandy, for half of his long life; during his final decades, he almost exclusively painted the garden filled with water-lilies he had created there. A keen horticulturist, he intended the garden 'for the pleasure of the eyes and also for the purpose of having subjects to paint'.

This display highlights the National Gallery's exceptional holdings of Monet's Giverny pictures, shown together for the first time in 17 years.

Suitable for

Website

Peder Balke

Peder Balke is among the most pioneering painters of 19th-century Scandinavia but despite the beauty and expressiveness of his seascapes, few today will recognise his name.

Balke was one of the first artists to venture to the vast, untrodden plains of the North Cape where he was overwhelmed by “opulent beauties of nature and locations delivered to the eye and the mind.” A lack of commercial success forced him to abandon his career as a painter, yet, so alluring was this wilderness on him that Balke continued to paint small scenes for pleasure. Such works, including the Gallery’s ‘Tempest’, are now widely regarded as highly original improvisations of unequalled virtuosity and innovation.

Website

Inventing Impressionism

4 March — 31 May 2015 *on now

So universally popular are the Impressionists today, it’s hard to imagine a time when they weren’t. But in the early 1870s they struggled to be accepted. Shunned by the art establishment, they were even lambasted as ‘lunatics’ by one critic.

One man, however, recognised their worth from the beginning. Paul Durand-Ruel, an entrepreneurial art dealer from Paris, discovered this group of young artists – including Monet, Degas, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro and Sisley – and gambled.

In a unique collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, ‘Inventing Impressionism’ features 85 masterpieces from the movement, all but one having passed through Durand-Ruel’s hands, including three of Renoir’s famous ‘Dances’ and five from Monet’s ‘Poplars’ series, alongside rare photographs from Durand-Ruel’s life.

Website

Soundscapes: Listening to Paintings

8 July — 6 September 2015

After the highly successful and experimental 'Metamorphosis: Titian 2012', where contemporary artists – including choreographers, composers, dancers, poets and visual artists – responded to paintings by Renaissance master Titian, the National Gallery is inviting six sound artists and musicians to each select a painting from the National Gallery’s collection and to create new work in response to it.

Each artist will be given a room in the Sainsbury Wing exhibition galleries in which their chosen painting and their sound/musical response will be installed.

The new sound pieces will be site specific and can only be heard in the context of the 'Soundscapes' exhibition with the painting that inspired it. Relying on minimal text, the idea is to give visitors the opportunity to experience and think about these works of art in a very different way, through what they hear as much as what they see.

This is an exhibition that celebrates the National Gallery’s collection, highlighting its ongoing inspiration for contemporary artists, this time from the musical world.

Suitable for

Family friendly

Website

Goya: The Portraits

7 October 2015 — 10 January 2016

Francisco de Goya (1746 -1828) is one of Spain’s most celebrated artists. He was considered a supremely gifted portrait painter and an excellent social commentator who took the genre of portraiture to new heights through his ability to reveal the psychology of his sitter.

This landmark exhibition - the first ever focusing solely on his portraits - re-appraises Goya’s genius as a portraitist and provide a penetrating insight into both public and private aspects of his life. It explores Goya’s ambitions and development as a painter, and his innovative and unconventional approach to portraiture which often broke traditional boundaries.

By bringing together more than 50 of his most outstanding portraits from around the world, including drawings and miniatures, and organising them in a chronological and thematic sequence, the show enables viewers to engage for the first time with the full range of Goya’s technical, stylistic and psychological development as a portraitist.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

For Love or Money

Paul Durand-Ruel played a crucial role in the rise of Impressionism. He discovered and guided the careers of many painters at a time when Impressionist paintings were not appreciated.

This discussion with art and art-market experts will reveal the joys and challenges of representing and championing living artists as well as the risks and rewards of promoting innovative, but sometimes controversial works.

Panellists include: Tim Marlow, Director of Artistic Programmes at the Royal Academy of ArtHannah Barry, Director of the Hannah Barry Gallery and Robert Upstone, Director of the Fine Art Society.

Suitable for

Admission

£8 / £6 concessions

Website

To See the Sea

10 April 2015 6:30-8pm

From Dutch seascapes of the 17th century, mapping tiny details of coastal territories, to seascapes of movement and feelings depicted by Romantic artists of the early 19th century, this tour, with art historian Marc Woodhead, explores the transition in philosophical and aesthetic approaches to depicting the sea through a closer look at the work by artists including Jacob Van Ruisdael, Canaletto and Turner.

Admission

Website

Stories of Art: Art from 1600-1700

A modular introduction to art history using the Gallery’s collection to explore key themes and stories in art. This course is ideal for people with some existing knowledge of art history.

Gallery experts including curators, conservators, educators, archivists and scientists will share their knowledge with you. Sessions are structured around key themes – such as faith, artists’ materials and society – and stories.

There are many different ways of talking about the art of the past – we can talk about the lives of artists or how they influence each other – but this is only part of the stories we can tell.

Explore different ideas in this six-week course, each one representing an alternative approach to art from 1600-1700. Each session will be introduced by course leader Vivienne Loren in an hour-long talk, followed by a short break.

Wednesdays 15, 22, 29 April and 6, 13, 20 May 2015, 2-4pm.

Suitable for

Admission

£100 / £80 concessions / £70 members

Website

Conversations with Paintings

16 April 2015 2-4pm

Looking at paintings can make us feel betterneuroscientists have discovered that looking at a beautiful artwork can increase the blood flow to the part of the brain associated with pleasure by as much as 10 per cent – the equivalent of gazing at a loved one.

In this small group discussion we ask whether considerations such as size, colour and subject matter make a difference to our emotional response.

This is a chance to enjoy the luxury of looking at a small number of paintings, in a room to ourselves. The conversation will continue over a cup of tea. No prior knowledge of art history is necessary.

Suitable for

Admission

£25 / £21 member

Website

Pontormo and the Body

17 April 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Experience tutored life-drawing classes in a unique environment. Referencing paintings from the collection and working from the nude model in our studio, you will experiment with a range of techniques and materials. Booked individually, each of the following sessions explores a different theme inspired by our paintings. Suitable for all levels of ability.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

Impressionism and the Art Market

25 April 2015 10:30am-4:30pm

Artists including Monet and Renoir declared that Paul Durand-Ruel made it possible for Impressionism to thrive.

Dealers, including Vollard and Kahnweiler, acknowledged their debt to him. What was it about Durand-Ruel’s approach that led so many to identify him as the father of the modern art market? And what significance does he have for today’s art market?

Leading international experts including art historians and dealers will debate Durand-Ruel’s impact.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

Channelling the avant-garde: from the Pre-Raphaelites to the Post-Impressionists

2 — 3 May 2015 10:30am-3:30pm

Looking at a range of artists, paintings and domestic interiors, this weekend course with Jo Rhymer and Christina Bradstreet will open up the world of 19th-century art in both London and Paris.

Discover the inspiration that French painters such as the Impressionists took from British art and the London cityscape. Did Victorian artists influence their French counterparts and just how innovative were the Pre-Raphaelite painters?

Sessions include talks, case studies and discussion in the Gallery. Lunch and refreshments for both days are included in the fee.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

Writing to the Impressionists

14 May 2015 2-4pm

“Without him, we wouldn’t have survived” was Monet’s verdict on the role played by art dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel.

In the early days of their radical movement, the Impressionist painters paid a heavy price for their rejection of tradition. Never far from the brink of poverty and ridiculed by critics and the public, Monet, in particular, was frequently in despair.

Drawing on both their work and the correspondence between the art dealer Durand-Ruel and the artists, this course will explore the story of the beginnings of modern art.

Suitable for

Admission

£12 / £10 concessions

Website

Framing: Fact and Fiction

15 May 2015 6:30-8pm

What goes on behind the scenes in our Framing Department? Join Head of Framing Peter Schade to discover more about our framing studio and storeroom and take a tour of some of the Gallery’s most intriguing frames.

Friday Lates socials: start your weekend here. Join National Gallery experts for a glass of wine in the café followed by a talk. Present your ticket in the café after the event and receive a 25% discount on food and a complimentary glass of wine with your food purchase.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

Tiepolo and flight

22 May 2015 6:30-8:30pm

Creating a sense of movement and lightness of touch, using simple mono-printing techniques.

Experience tutored life-drawing classes in a unique environment. Referencing paintings from the collection and working from the nude model in our studio, you will experiment with a range of techniques and materials. Booked individually, each of the following sessions explores a different theme inspired by our paintings. Suitable for all levels of ability.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

Stories of Art: Art from 1700-1900

There are many different ways of talking about the art of the past – we can talk about the lives of artists or how they influence each other – but this is only part of the stories we can tell.

Explore different ideas in this six-week course, each one representing an alternative approach to art from 1700-1900. Each session will be introduced by course leader James Heard in an hour-long talk, followed by a short break.

Several sessions will also feature in-depth contributions from guest speakers from the Gallery’s expert staff, focusing on specific aspects of the Gallery’s work. Time will be allowed for questions and discussion.

Take One Picture

Take One PictureEach year the National Gallery's Take One Picture scheme focuses on a painting from the Collection to inspire cross-curricular work in primary classrooms.Paintings can be used for work in literacy, numeracy, ICT, science, history, art and design, craft, design and technology, and PSHEE and citizenship.Each year the Gallery displays a selection of schools' work in the Take One Picture exhibition.

Magic Carpet Storytelling on Sundays

Fly away on the magic carpet at The National Gallery as it comes to land in front of a different painting each Sunday. Enjoy stories that tie in with creative workshops happening on the same day, suitable for children under 5 years old. Come along at 10.30-11.00 or 11.30-12.00 to the Education Centre.

How to obtain

Booking is not necessary but places are limited and allocated on arrival. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Email information@ng-london.org.uk for further details.